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Dominion of the Rose Throne
The Most Sacred and Exalted Dominion of the Rose Throne ('''or simply the '''Dominion) is the smallest of the Shards, formerly the capital city of a great, world-spanning theocracy before the Breaking. Whether through miraculous or disastrous fortune -- popular opinion diverges on which -- only the city was "saved," leaving the rest of the empire behind, and modern-day citizens of the Dominion are descended from the upper crust of its ancients: rulers, nobles, merchants, wizards, artists, and others deemed deserving of a place in the holy city under the Throne's auspices. Devoid of natural resources and its once-advanced outlying infrastructure, the Dominion is now ironically the most dependent upon its fellow Shards for basic necessities, where it was once an absolute authority on who received what. Despite this, the Throne carries on as the Shards' spiritual authority -- desperately clinging to the final vestiges of its centuries-long tradition of righteous rule. History & societal structure Of all the Shardic worlds' pre-Breaking states, the Dominion's is the most well-documented, given its nature as the metropolitan, religious, and scholastic center of its empire. The Rose Throne was the absolute authority of the land, and those seated upon it were hailed as prophets, communing with the gods for guidance. All of the Dominion's affairs were conducted according to their will, from commerce to military, ruling as benevolent dictators -- and now, rendered impotent by the lack of an empire to govern, the extravagant lifestyle and grandiosity of the inner city is regarded by many as wasteful and indulgent. The Mother Radiant Catarina DeSalle currently sits upon the Rose Throne itself and carries on in the way of her ancestors regardless of popular opinion, upholding ancient titles of nobility and governing by laws, taxes, and tithes with no more system to support them in the long term. As a result of DeSalle's extreme traditionalism, the Dominion has become the coveted home of many upper-class survivors of the Breaking regardless of their home Shard -- and rather than a symbol of divine supremacy, the Throne has become synonymous with wealth and excess in the public eye, with most nobility adopting its culture in hopes of sharing in that identity. Dominionite culture is divided into several strata: The Rose Clergy Just beneath the Mother Radiant are the Throne's clergy. Assembled from those high clerics and authorities from various gods' priesthoods deemed trustworthy, they serve to disseminate the Throne's will among the rest of the Dominion's adherents (e.g. its entire populace) and collect tithes. The Laymen Nobility In the old days of the empire, those who performed a great service to the Throne were awarded titles of nobility -- barons, dukes, marquesses, and other echelons of importance that now carry little weight without the associated lands to govern. While titles are still awarded, the Dominion nobility now are largely divided between those descended from "true-born" Dominion citizens who won their titles before the Breaking, and the nouveau riche who simply bought their positions with donations to the church. Merchant class Unlanded and untitled traders from across the Shards often sell their wares with the intent of climbing the Dominion's social ladder. While ascending the ranks is generally regarded as indulging in the "nobles' playground" that the Dominion has become, it still comes with a great deal of influence... City construction & layout Transportation in the Dominion is largely achieved by a considerable network of canals and channels, as the city sits upon a number of small islands. Without a natural source to the flowing water, the canals' continued operation baffles and concerns scholars throughout the Shards, as the flow simply ceases and becomes a precipitous waterfall into nothingness at the Dominion's Shardbounds -- the new water to replace it must come from somewhere, but no such spring or well has been discovered. A constantly-operating taxi boat service is run by the city's warforged population. Each island is named for the god whose cathedral dominates it, with larger, naturally-occurring islands for widely revered deities like Pelor and Heironeous, and smaller artificial outcroppings for more obscure Throne-recognized cults. The largest houses the Mother Radiant's palace and the Rose Throne itself. Relationship with the Planeswatch The Planeswatch are often called upon by the Dominion's leaders for relatively innocuous or simple tasks, and while the work is low-threat -- often settling trade disputes or dispersing riots -- it comes in a steady stream, with no shortage of unrest rumbling beneath the city's veneer of control. The Coins of newer Watchmen are often given over to the Dominion for this reason, allowing the fresh recruits to adjust to the lifestyle of the organization. Category:Settings Category:Shards Category:Planeswatch